2024/06/13 by Amanda Grenell, Jasmine R. Ernst, Stephanie M. Carlson
Neuroscience · Psychology · #Educational and Psychological Assessments #Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function #Reading and Literacy Development
paper · doi:10.1080/10409289.2024.2360884
openalex publication_date 2024/06/13 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
Research Findings: =93; 47% female). Children were randomly assigned to an Explicit Instruction, Discovery Learning, or No-Instruction Control condition. A pre-post-test design was used to measure change in children's knowledge of sinking and floating using an assessment created for the current study. Participants also completed measures of executive function (i.e., Minnesota Executive Function Scale, Statue Task, Backward Word Span) and non-verbal and verbal IQ (i.e., Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales). Results showed that children in the Explicit Instruction condition learned more than children in the other two groups. Additionally, individual differences in age, socioeconomic status, IQ, and executive function predicted learning, although only age and SES were uniquely predictive when all variables were included in the model. Lastly, children's sinking and floating pre-test scores significantly interacted with instructional condition to predict learning. Among children in the Discovery Learning condition, those with more prior knowledge gained more after instruction than children with less prior knowledge. Practice or Policy: These findings highlight the importance of considering how learner characteristics might influence the effectiveness of different instructional approaches.